Neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer

Heather A. Wakelee, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, CA discuss the efficacy of neoadjuvant and adjuvant immune therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer. Although trials of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors have yielded positive results, there is currently a lack of disease-free survival data (DFS). In the IMpower010 Phase III trial, adjuvant atezolizumab, a checkpoint inhibitor, met its significance endpoint of DFS, delaying tumor return, however more time is required before tumor eradication can be determined (NCT02486718). Research is ongoing to determine whether patients may benefit from a combination of neoadjuvant and adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors, and to discover strategies to identify appropriate candidates for neoadjuvant/adjuvant immunotherapy e.g., using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). This interview took place at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2021 Virtual Meeting.